Managing Steep Hills with Wisdom, Wire and Water
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An Upper Goulburn Landcare Network, Caring for our Country and EverGraze Support Site project
Managing pastures for the future
Graeme Hand will take you through an overview of planned grazing management.
The overview will outline profitable, regenerative management practices aimed at improving the health of your stock, pastures and your land while increasing profit and managing your workload.
Topics will include an explanation of water, energy and mineral cycling and how they relate to ecological health and sustainable production.
Principles of how increasing biodiversity improves land health. Tools to manage this, such as rest, stocking rate, herd effect etc.
Plant succession, state and transition, pasture assessment, an fodder budgeting. The benefits and costs of native grasses will also be discussed. An explanation on why some grazing systems plateau and others fail will be provided.
In the afternoon Graeme will lead a pasture walk to explain how to monitor land regeneration and early warning indicators of animal health and land change.
Cathy Botta is a soil scientist, educator and facilitator who work’s with rural and regional communities. Her passion is helping people better understand their own soils and the effects of land management on soil health.
Cathy will be discussing soil types, soil tests and relating the information to on-ground management techniques. Cathy will also cover hill country grazing management and the long-term effects on soil health that different management structures can develop.
Lunch will be provided to those who rsvp by Friday 8th May 2009Please contact Ian McClaren via email on ianmcclaren@bordernet.com.au or tel: 03 5794 9279 to register.